JR East has issued an open international tender for new diesel rolling stock for the Hachinohe Line.
The passenger rail company is looking to procure 18 new diesel trains, six single car and 12 two-car vehicles.
Manufacturers have until February 27, 2015 to submit a bid to supply the new kyōki-gauge vehicles, which according to a preliminary spec will have a maximum operating speed of 100 km/h with a 331kW(450PS)/2,100rpm power output.
“JR East is looking forward to receiving many applications from all over the world and having dialogues with best in class manufacturers,” the company said in a statement.
The contract includes the design, manufacture, commissioning and maintenance of the new trains, which will need to be compatible with JR East’s train control system, for a period of 40+ years.
In October, the EU withdrew its objection to delisting JR East, Central and West from a World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement which ensures transparent, open public sector procurement. As a private company, JR has for many years campaigned to be exempted from the agreement. In return, the EU expected to see European companies given greater access to the Japanese market.
Despite its membership of WTO, JR companies have been able to avoid running public tenders for new rolling stock, to the benefit of domestic manufacturers, by applying something called the Operational Safety Clause – a loophole which exempts train procurement competitions from having to comply with WTO rules on safety grounds.
